The Malaria Research Centre (MRC) was established as one of the two Centres of Excellence by UNIMAS in January 2006. This was in recognition of the major contributions to malaria research by Prof Balbir Singh, Prof Janet Cox-Singh and co-researchers at the Malaria Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. These two scientists joined UNIMAS in 1999 to establish laboratory-based research in the new Medical Faculty and with financial support from UNIMAS, they were instrumental in designing and equipping state-of-the-art research laboratories. The acquisition of research grants from Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom, the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment and UNIMAS, enabled them to train young scientists and establish an active group of researchers working on malaria.

 

The research undertaken at the MRC utilises molecular tools to study in detail the epidemiology, clinical features and population genetics of malaria parasites in this region. A landmark discovery by scientists working at the MRC was of a large focus in Sarawak of human infections with Plasmodium knowlesi, a parasite normally found in long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques. The MRC research team subsequently made several other key discoveries which have highlighted knowlesi malaria as a significant, life-threatening zoonotic disease that is prevalent throughout Southeast Asia. This work, that a highly pathogenic malaria parasite from monkeys is infecting humans and is the fifth cause of human malaria, has radically changed our understanding of malaria. We are continuing to use molecular tools to study genetic diversity and transmission of knowlesi malaria.

The MRC comprises senior scientists, postgraduates, and research assistants from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, working in close collaboration with colleagues from the Sarawak Health Department and scientists from overseas institutions in UK and the USA. We are expanding and continuously looking for highly motivated postgraduates to join the MRC.